Background
Edgar Henry Gerhart was born on December 18, 1923 in the town of Drumheller, Alberta. His father was Clarence Gerhart.
Edgar Henry Gerhart was born on December 18, 1923 in the town of Drumheller, Alberta. His father was Clarence Gerhart.
During his time in office he served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Ernest Manning and Harry Strom from 1967 to 1971. Gerhart ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature for the first time in the 1952 Alberta general election. Gerhart ran for a second term in office in the 1955 Alberta general election.
He was re-elected winning the final seat in the district.
The Edmonton electoral district was broken up into single member riding"s in the 1959 Boundary Redistribution. Gerhart ran for re-election in the new electoral district of Edmonton North West.
He faced a hotly contested race for the new seat and was nearly defeated by Progressive Conservative candidate Ned Feehan. A year later Gerhart ran for a seat as Alderman in the 1960 Edmonton election without resigning his provincial seat.
He was defeated finishing 12th out of 15 candidates.
Gerhart ran for a fourth term in office in the 1963 Alberta general election. He faced Feehan for the second time as well as future Modern Language Association Grant Notley in the four way race. The opposition vote collapsed while Gerhart"s vote held he retained his seat easily.
Gerhart stood for a fifth term in the 1967 Alberta general election.
He faced a hotly contested five way race and almost lost his seat to Progressive Conservative candidate Paul Norris. He managed to hang on with a plurality of about 400 votes.
Premier Ernest Manning appointed Gerhart to the Executive Council of Alberta on June 29, 1967. His first cabinet portfolio was Municipal Affairs.
Gerhart would finish fifth out of six in the 1968 leadership election.
He would not run on the second ballot. Two days later he would also get the Municipal Affairs portfolio back. He would hold that portfolio until May 27, 1969.
The 1971 boundary redistribution would see Edmonton North West abolished.
Gerhart ran for a sixth term in office in the election held that year in the new electoral district of Edmonton-Calder but was defeated by Progressive Conservative candidate Tom Chambers.
He served that until July 16, 1968 when he left to run for leadership of the Social Cr Party.
He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1952 to 1971 sitting with the Social Cr caucus in government.